drug rehab

Going to rehab seems to be more popular than ever. It is rare for me to go a whole week without hearing about some celebrity that got into trouble and is now entering rehab as the solution. Lindsey Lohan got into a DWI accident and within 24 hours, she was in a rehab facility. People say she is taking her recovery seriously NOW, but early in her rehab she was still planning on having a huge party at a club in Vegas for her 21st birthday. And of course, Mel Gibson got a DWI, ranted drunk about the evil jews...and then immediately checked himself into rehab. Isaiah Washington says a gay slur and then checks himself into rehab. I could go on and on. I think that rehabs are so important and can save lives, but it saddens me to see a drug treatment center get used to solve someone's legal or more importantly, PR problems. Part of my job is to evaluate our local inmates and assess who might be more appropriate for rehab than for jail...so, sometimes I am the one sending someone to rehab instead of jail. I have seen it change lives, but I have also seen it used. I used to joke that when I go into the jail to do the interviews, I should wear a shirt that says, "Rehab, it's better than jail!"